Busy Bodies - The Centre for Family Medicine FHT

1 Creative food and play ideas for your preschooler (ages 3 to 5)..The Nutrition Resource Centre at the Ontario Public Health Association is pleased to bring you BusyBodies. We trust these cards will inspire you to explore healthy eating and physical activity ever y day with your by the Government of Ontario as part of Ontario's Action Plan for Healthy Eating and Active LivingFebruar y, 2007Do the TwistPlay music and dance for 10 minutes. GOOD TO KNOW: Dancing is a great way to make your heart and lungs the WorldExplore foods from many cultures. Try new foods: mango, chapati (flatbread),tzatziki (yogurt dip), hummus (chickpea dip), samosa (pastry triangles), couscous (grain), falafel (chickpea patties), quesadilla and TO KNOW: Offer new foods to your child with familiar foods. Try smallamounts at first. It can take 10 to 15 times before your child accepts a new s a Zoo Out ThereHave one person be the zookeeper . The zookeeper calls out an animal and everyone moves around the room just like that animal.

2 When the zookeeper says feeding time , everyone moves back to the zookeeper imitating their animal and waits for the nextanimal to be called. GOOD TO KNOW: preschoolers should build up to 60 minutes of structured physical activity every day. These are activities that you plan,supervise and/or do with your a PlacematCut out pictures of food from magazines or grocery store flyers. Get 4 pieces of paper. Label as: (1) Vegetables and Fruit, (2) Grain Products, (3) Milk and Alternatives and (4) Meat and Alternatives. Glue the food pictures on each Food TO KNOW: Children follow by example. If you eat a variety of foods, so will they. Families that eat together are more likely to eathealthier foods. It s Never Too Late to SkateOn a carpeted area, clear some space to make a rink . Get two pieces of paper (8 1/2 x 11 ), and put one under each foot. With shoes on, stride forward and backward as if you were skating. Have skating races, create a path to follow, or skate to music.

3 GOOD TO KNOW: preschoolers should build up to 60 minutes of endurance activities (activities that make your heart beat faster) every Does Your Garden Grow?Take a small clay pot or plastic container. Make sure there is a hole in the the container with soil. Plant vegetables (beans, peas) or herbs from seeds or seedlings. Watch them grow. Remember to water them. GOOD TO KNOW: Get children involved in growing vegetables and choosing themat the grocery store. They will be more likely to eat HockeyPlay hockey using pool noodles and a soft ball. GOOD TO KNOW: Physical activity doesn t have to cost a lot of money. Think ofhousehold items you can use to be active plastic containers,squeeze bottles, cardboard boxes, cardboard rolls from wrappingpaper or paper towels, egg cartons, old clothes and of the RainbowExpose children to many colourful vegetables and children to name as many colourful fruit and vegetables as they can: yellow, orange, red, green, blue, activity can be done at the grocery store.

4 GOOD TO KNOW: Make eating vegetables fun. Serve them with dips and sauces (try yogurt dip, salsa, salad dressing, BBQ sauce).Children who eat together with their families are more likely to eat vegetables. Walk and RollGo for a walk. Try a different walk : walk slowly, quickly, with heavy loud steps, on tiptoes, with long strides, with tiny steps, in a straight line, and in a zig-zag. Run, skip, hop, step and jump. GOOD TO KNOW: Be active as a Family by walking to do small errands such as mailing letters, a trip to the corner store, or returning a You Hear What I Hear?At mealtime or when cooking, explore the different sounds that foods are some ideas to get you started: Popping popcorn Crushing crackers Whisking eggs Crunching applesTalk about other foods that make a sound when you eat TO KNOW: Be popcorn, nuts, seeds, raisins, candies, and rawpieces of hard fruit or vegetables like carrots and apples, canbe a choking hazard for children under the age of a BallPlay with a ball in a variety of ways ( kick, bounce, roll, throw, catch).

5 GOOD TO KNOW: Children need to learn basic skills in the years between sixmonths and six years. Help your child to become comfortablewith different ball skills using a variety of balls. Start with simpleball skills such as rolling the ball, then progress to bouncing,throwing, kicking and ExplorersHide a vegetable or fruit in a paper or cloth bag. Ask children to put their hand in the bag and guess what the food is. Use foods with different textures, shapes and sizes: Fuzzy (peach, kiwi) Smooth (tomatoes, apple) Bumpy (potato, strawberries) Long (carrot, cucumber, celery)GOOD TO KNOW: Exploring foods by taste, touch and smell encourages children to try new to ActAct out a sport and have your child guess what sport you are playing ( basketball, hockey, soccer, baseball, volleyball, swimming). To make this activity more active, have your children mirror the activity while you act it out. Try again with another sport. Take turns acting.

6 GOOD TO KNOW: Participating in a variety of sports helps children learn newskills, improve their self confidence, make new friends, and improve their Berry SmoothieMix together in a blender: 1 cup (250 mL) milk or fortified soy beverage 1 medium banana Handful of fresh or frozen berries strawberries, blueberries, raspberriesMakes four 4-ounce (125 mL) servings. Enjoy as a snackbetween TO KNOW: Smoothies are a great way to enjoy milk. preschoolers need 2 cups (500 mL) of milk every day for healthy bones and teeth. RE CI P EI Get a Kick Out of You! Practice kicking and passing a ball using only your feet. A young child may need to use her hands to stop a rolling TO KNOW: To make kicking safe and more interesting, make sure yourchild is wearing non-slip shoes and use an under-inflated largerubber ball. Try to challenge your child to aim toward an objectrather than just kicking for Pizza 2 tbsp (25 mL) pizza or pasta sauce 1 whole wheat English muffin, tortilla, or pita 1/4 red or green pepper, diced 3 mushrooms, sliced 1/4 cup (50 mL) grated mozzarella, cheddar or parmesan cheese Heat oven to 350 F (180 C).

7 Spread sauce on muffin, tortilla or pita. Add vegetables. Sprinkle cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Adapted from: Cooking Up a Storm, Dairy Farmers of Canada (Ontario) GOOD TO KNOW: Pizza is a great way to get all four food groups in one lean ham or grilled chicken and the pizza will have foodsfrom all four food CI P EObstacle CourseOn a carpeted area, create an obstacle course by using boxes, chairs, pillows, and other household items to jump over, crawl under and move around. Think about your child s safety by choosing items that are sturdy, free of sharp or rough edges,and TO KNOW: Some children may get bored quickly so don t worry if you don t get to finish an activity before moving on to the next one. INDOORSFun with Eggs 6 hard cooked eggs 1/4 cup (50 mL) plain yogurt or whipped salad dressing 1 tablespoon (15 mL) dill Salt and pepperPeel the eggs. Cut them in half, lengthwise. Empty the yolksinto a bowl. Mash the yolks with yogurt/salad dressing anddill.

8 Add salt and pepper to taste. Fill the egg whites with eggyolk mixture. Serve cold. Makes 12 from: Cooking Up a Storm, Dairy Farmers of Canada (Ontario)GOOD TO KNOW: Some children have a hard time chewing and swallowing meat. Cut meat into very small bits and add it to soups, stews or tomatosauce. Offer other protein foods such as eggs, fish, cheese,smooth peanut butter, tofu, cooked dried beans, peas or CI P EStrike up the BandCreate your own marching band and march around the house using real or make-believe instruments. GOOD TO KNOW: Physical activity builds strong bones and strengthens muscles,promotes flexibility, strengthens the heart, and enhanceshealthy growth and Washing Song Wash, Wash, Wash Your Hands (to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat)Wash, wash, wash, your hands,Play our handy and scrub, scrub and rub,Germs go down the drain. Hey!Wash, wash, wash your hands,Play our handy and scrub, scrub and rub,Dirt goes down the drain.

9 Hey!GOOD TO KNOW: Encourage children to wash their hands before and after and DancePlay and move to your child s favourite action songs: Hokey Pokey; Grand Old Duke of York; Wheels on the Bus; Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes;and Shake Your Sillies TO KNOW: Young children may not do the same task for long periods oftime. So add up your physical activity in short periods of time( 10 minutes) throughout the Fruit SaladCut up different coloured fruit into slices or bite-size chunks. Place in separate bowls. Encourage your child to create his own fruit salad or fruit kabobs. Add 1-2tablespoons (15-25 mL) of orange juice concentrate as the dressing or serve with vanilla yogurt as a dip. Need fruit ideas? Banana, kiwi, watermelon, canteloupe, honeydew melon, pineapple, peach, orange, blueberries, strawberries, and grapes. GOOD TO KNOW: Limit juice to no more than 4-6 oz (125-175 mL) a day. Toomuch juice is filling and can affect children s appetites at mealtimes.

10 Juice also has no fibre. Offer your child fruit insteadof juice to get CI P EWalk to the Rhythm of the BeatPlay music and move to the rhythm: walk, run, hop, march, gallop, and jump. Go down low, reach up high. Walk on the spot, on your toes, and on your heels. Walk around with big steps, little steps, light quick easy steps, heavy quick steps or long slow your imagination. GOOD TO KNOW: Place pictures of your child being active on the fridge or on the creating your own Wall of Fame . This will reinforce physically active HummusThis chickpea dip is a great way for kids to enjoy vegetables. 1 can (540 mL/19 oz) chickpeas, drained 1/4 cup (50 mL) lemon juice 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each ground cumin, salt and pepper 1/4 cup (50 mL) plain yogurt 2 tbsp (25 mL) olive oil 2 cloves garlicIn a food processor or blender, puree chickpeas. Add lemon juice andblend. Continue adding each ingredient and blending until all the ingre-dients have been added.